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Museums

Rochester-area museums tell many stories: the birth of Rochester and neighboring towns, the growth of photography and film, and the intimate life stories of movers and shakers, such as Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. They focus on trains, toys, art, dinosaurs, historic plants, dolls, Native American culture, sporting art and Jell-O. Don’t miss a visit to one of Rochester’s house museums; they re-create local life in the 19th century and are a direct result of the region’s special focus on historic preservation.

Antique Wireless Museum6925 Routes 5 & 20 Boomfield, NY585-257-5119; http://www.antiquewireless.orgLearn the history of techologies used to communicate and entertain, from the telegraph to text messaging. See the Titanic wireless room with authentic era wireless equipment. See the first transistor radio and the first cell phone. In the discovery area, visitors can use hands-on equipment.Map It

ArtWalkUniversity Avenue244-4480; http://www.rochesterartwalk.orgRochester’s urban outdoor museum and art trail in the Neighborhood of the Arts runs along University Avenue between the Memorial Art Gallery and George Eastman House. It’s art on the street, with mosaic-tiled light poles, artistic bus shelters and benches, and sidewalk imprints. Events, held throughout the year, include ArtWalk Alive, a multi-art celebration in September, and Music on the Block, a music festival.Map It

Big Springs Museum and Historical Society3095 Main St. Caledonia, NY538-9880On display are items chronicling the history of the Caledonia and Mumford area, including clothing, farm machinery, kitchen utensils, toys and furniture. Personal collections comprise photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, greeting cards and war memorabilia.Map It

Book of Mormon Historic Publication SiteGrandin Printing Shop, 217 E. Main St. Palmyra, NYThe portion of the building owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been restored to the way it was in the late 1820s, when the Book of Mormon was published here for the first time. Visitors also can walk through the bindery and the store where the Book of Mormon was first sold.Map It

Boynton House16 East Blvd. Rochester, NYFrank Lloyd Wright built this house for E.E. Boynton in 1908. You can’t tour this private residence, but you can get a good look from the street. It is a well-preserved example of the architect’s Prairie style.Map It

Campbell-Whittlesey House Museum123 S. Fitzhugh St. Rochester, NY546-7029; http://www.landmarksociety.orgOne of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in America, this house represents the prosperity that the Erie Canal brought to Rochester in the mid-1800s. Located in Corn Hill, Rochester’s first residential neighborhood, the house features double parlors painted 12 tones and furniture decorated with gold stencils. Tours begin next door at the Landmark Society of Western New York headquarters and gift shop, 133 S. Fitzhugh St.Map It

Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse and Keeper’s Residence MuseumBehind church parking lot at 4492 Lake Ave., 70 Lighthouse St. Rochester, NY621-6179; http://www.geneseelighthouse.orgThe lighthouse once guarded Rochester’s Lake Ontario shoreline. Visitors can climb the tower for one of the best views of the city. The museum displays memorabilia from Charlotte’s (pronounced shar-LOT) heyday as a tourist attraction, along with local maritime history. Pick up a souvenir in the gift shop and pause for a picnic on the grounds. Limited hours or by appointment.Map It

Fairport Historical Museum18 Perrin St. Fairport, NY223-3989; http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/fairporthistmuseumA huge mural by WPA artist Carl Peters can be found in the lobby of the museum, built as a library in 1937 as a project of the Works Progress Administration. The museum houses the local history collections for the Perinton Historical Society and features a Victorian parlor and general store exhibit. Early property records, costumes and other materials of interest to genealogists can be found here. Fairport owes its existence to the Erie Canal and the railroad, so much of the collection focuses on their role in the village’s growth. After viewing the collections, stroll through the gift shop and gardens. Free admission; limited hours.Map It

Ganondagan State Historic Site1488 State Route 444 Victor, NY924-5848; http://www.ganondagan.orgGanondagan, designated a national historic landmark in 1964, marks a major 17th-century Seneca town. Visitors can follow marked trails on Boughton Hill, where the town’s burial grounds were, and on Fort Hill, site of the town’s granary. Exhibits, videos and a reconstructed longhouse tell the centuries-old story of the Seneca Nation, one of six nations in the Iroquois Confederacy.Map It

Genesee Country Village & Museum1410 Flint Hill Road Mumford, NY538-6822; http://www.gcv.orgOne of the top three living-history museums in the country, Genesee Country Village features nearly 70 restored buildings dating from 1797 to 1870. Costumed interpreters go about the daily tasks of 19th-century life. Special events and classes bring visitors into activities. Four centuries of art are displayed in the John L. Wehle Art Gallery. Five miles of interpreted trails in the Nature Center, open year-round, wind through woodlands and marshes. Two restaurants and four museum shops are on the grounds.Map It

Geneva History Museum543 S. Main St. Geneva, NY(315) 789-5151; http://www.genevahistoricalsociety.com$3 suggested donationOperated by the Geneva Historical Society, the Geneva History Museum is housed in the Prouty-Chew House, an 1829 Federal-style building with both permanent and changing exhibit galleries and a research archive. On permanent display are two furnished rooms, a children’s Discovery Room and the exhibit Geneva’s Changing Landscapes, which explores how the city has been shaped by its environment over the last 300 years.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film900 East Ave. Rochester, NY271-3361; http://www.eastmanhouse.orgAn international leader in film preservation, this national historic landmark collects and interprets images, films and equipment in photography and motion pictures. Tour the 50-room Colonial Revival mansion and formal gardens of Eastman Kodak founder George Eastman. Take in exhibitions in nearly a dozen galleries. View classic and contemporary films in the Dryden Theatre. Create sunprints and more in the Discovery Room. The film archives hold one of the most extensive collections of silent films, as well as the personal film collections of Cecil B. DeMille, Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee.Map It

Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum295 N. Main St. Canandaigua, NY394-1472; http://www.grangerhomestead.orgThis was the retirement home of Gideon Granger, postmaster general under Presidents Jefferson and Madison. The 1816 Federal-style mansion housed four generations of Grangers, as well as a private girls’ academy and a ministers’ retirement home. Today special events and tours show how the Grangers lived. The Carriage Museum has the largest collection of antique carriages in Western New York. Carriage and sleigh rides are available; reservations are required. Also on the property is Hubbell Law Office, where 1860 presidential nominee Stephen Douglas worked as a law clerk. One of just a handful of two-room law offices that remain in the state, it is open to visitors.Map It

Hervey Ely House11 Livingston Park Rochester, NYBuilt in 1837, this Greek Revival structure features Doric columns, elaborate plaster decorations and marble fireplaces. Hervey Ely was a prominent mill owner during Rochester’s mid-19th-century boom. The house has been owned since the 1920s by the Irondequoit chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Free admission; limited hours.Map It

Hill Cumorah Visitors Center603 State Route 21 Palmyra, NY(315) 597-5851Built at the foot of the Hill Cumorah, the center is a great starting point for visitors looking for information on local sites central to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Interactive displays and feature-length films tell of the historic events that took place at these sites.Map It

Historic LeRoy House23 E. Main St. LeRoy, NY768-7433Donated to the LeRoy Historical Society in 1942, this was once the home of land agent Jacob LeRoy. Before the Civil War, Rev. Samuel Cox, a noted abolitionist, lived here. He also was chancellor of Ingham University, the first four-year university for women in the United States, located in LeRoy. A collection of local 19th-century redware from the Morganville Pottery is on permanent display in the home.Map It

Hoyt-Potter House133 S. Fitzhugh St. Rochester, NY546-7029; http://www.landmarksociety.orgThis building was saved from demolition when the Landmark Society of Western New York chose it as its headquarters. The 1840 Greek Revival mansion also houses the Wenrich Memorial Library, a rich resource for information on local architecture, historic preservation, horticulture and decorative arts. Library research is by appointment.Map It

Jell-O Gallery23 E. Main St. LeRoy, NY768-7433; http://www.jellomuseum.comThis gallery celebrates Jell-O, invented in 1897 right here in the village of LeRoy. Exhibits trace the history of the popular dessert. The gallery gift shop has dozens of products for collectors, from notecards and clocks to golf towels and Jell-O Barbie dolls.Map It

Johnston HouseSaturdays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sundays, 1-5 p.m., May 1 - Oct. 313523 East Lake Road Geneva, NY(315) 789-5151; http://www.genevahistoricalsociety.comThis 1822 house was originally part of the prominent Central New York farm of John and Margaret Johnston. John Johnston was the first in the U.S. to use soil drainage tiles to increase farming productivity. On the self-guided tour, visitors learn about Johnston's role in the agricultural community and explore how his wife and daughters experienced the dramatic changes in women's roles and education during the 19th century. Agricultural technology fans can check out the Mike Weaver Drainage Tile Museum, also located on the property.Map It

Joseph Smith Farm863 Stafford Road Palmyra, NY(315) 597-1671Though frequently associated with the Midwest and Salt Lake City, the Mormon Church was born in this area. The restored 1820s home of Joseph Smith, the charismatic religious leader who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is open for tours. Free admission.Map It

Landmark Society of Western New York133 S. Fitzhugh St. Rochester, NY546-7029; http://www.landmarksociety.orgIn addition to maintaining house museums, the Landmark Society offers tours of historic neighborhoods. Its annual Corn Hill Holiday Tour of Homes occurs on the first Saturday of December. The tour takes visitors into beautifully restored historic homes in Corn Hill, the city’s oldest residential district. The society’s 39th annual House and Garden Tour visits East Avenue on June 6 and 7, 2009. Call the society for tickets and directions. The society also has maps for self-guided tours of historic neighborhoods, from downtown Rochester to outlying towns. You can also pick up a map from Downtown Guides at the Downtown Information Center, corner of Clinton Avenue and Main Street, 232-3420, or online at www.landmarksociety.org/tours/index.html.Map It

Memorial Art Gallery500 University Ave. Rochester, NY 14607473-7720; http://www.mag.rochester.eduFounded in 1913 as a centerpiece for Rochester’s growing interest in art, the Memorial Art Gallery draws tens of thousands of visitors a year. Popular exhibitions have featured Georgia O’Keeffe, Edgar Degas and Maxfield Parrish. The museum’s well-balanced permanent collection, dating to antiquity, includes the inner and outer coffins of Pa-debehu-Aset, an Egyptian official of the fourth century B.C., the only full-size Italian Baroque organ in North America and a beautifully detailed Renaissance suit of armor. The annual Clothesline Festival and two exhibitions show off the region’s many talented artists. The Gill Discovery Center offers interactive installations for children and adults. There are school programs and classes for all ages, an art library, lectures and concerts. Visitors also can dine in Cutler’s Restaurant and shop at the Gallery StoreMap It

Morgan-Manning House151 Main St. Brockport, NY637-3645Dayton Morgan purchased the home in 1854, and it remained in his family for nearly 100 years. The Western Monroe Historical Society restored the house in 1965 after a damaging fire, which also took the life of the last of the Morgan children, 96-year-old Sara Morgan Manning. Today the home looks much as it did during the 19th century. Free admission; tours by appointment.Map It

New York Museum of Transportation6393 East River Road Rush, NY533-1113; http://www.rochestertrainrides.comMid-May through October, the adjacent New York Museum of Transportation and Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum provide a seamless visitor experience, including a two-mile track car ride between them, for one admission price. The only operating trolley museum in New York, NYMT offers unlimited trolley rides in the summer, free with admission. Visitors can climb aboard and take photos of freight and passenger cars, locomotives, cabooses, trolleys, highway and horse-drawn vehicles and more. Special events feature diesel locomotive and caboose rides. The museums also feature a restored 1909 Erie Railroad depot, a huge model railroad, photo displays of Genesee Valley transportation history and a gift shopMap It

Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum6394 East River Road Rush, NY533-1431; http://www.rochestertrainrides.comAdjacent to the New York Museum of Transportation, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum can trace its routes back to 1937 as the Rochester chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Since the museum was established in 1971, volunteers have preserved more than 40 pieces of historic railroad equipment along with a 1909 Erie Railroad passenger station to bring Rochester's rich railroading heritage to life.Map It

Rochester Museum & Science Center657 East Ave. Rochester, NY271-1880; http://www.rmsc.orgEstablished in 1912 as Rochester’s Municipal Museum, RMSC offers interactive exhibits on the region’s rich heritage of innovation in science, technology, natural science and cultural diversity. From a Genesee Gorge climbing wall to a mastodon dig site to abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ re-created print shop or the inner workings of a Xerox copier, RMSC offers visitors a hands-on sense of what Rochester is all about. Strasenburgh Planetarium presents giant-screen films, astronomy shows and music laser light shows. The associated Cumming Nature Center near Naples has a visitor center, six miles of hiking trails and seasonal activities to celebrate the natural environment.Map It

Rose Hill Mansionone mile south of Routes 5 & 20, 3373 Route 96A Geneva, NY(315) 789-3848, (315) 789-5151; http://www.genevahistoricalsociety.com$7.00 adults; $6.00 seniors; $4.00 children 10-18; children 9 and under free. Call for family and group rates.Rose Hill is an 1839 Greek Revival mansion perched above Seneca Lake in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Guided tours of the National Historic Landmark explore the complex world of the Swan family and their 19th-century farm estate. Twenty rooms are restored and furnished in the Empire style, popular from the 1820s to 1850s.Map It

Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park151 Charlotte St. Canandaigua, NY394-4922; http://www.sonnenberg.orgThe summer home of Canandaigua benefactors Frederick Ferris Thompson and Mary Clark Thompson, Sonnenberg is a Victorian mansion and gardens. Frederick Thompson was a founder of the forerunner of Citibank. The 1885 Queen Anne-style mansion has 40 rooms. The gardens were designed and built in the early decades of the 20th century. You will find nine themed gardens and a reflecting pond, along with a conservatory complex that is considered one of the most significant residential greenhouse complexes in the country. The 2009 garden season is from May to October. The Finger Lakes Wine Center is on the grounds and accessible free of charge.Map It

Stone-Tolan House Museum2370 East Ave. Brighton, NY442-4606; 546-7029, ext. 14, for group tours; http://www.landmarksociety.orgOrringh Stone and his family managed their farm and rural tavern here from 1790 to 1820. One of Rochester’s oldest houses, Stone-Tolan features furnishings, utensils and clothing of the period. Visitors will find an authentic representation of the early 19th-century landscape in the apple orchard, herb garden, privy, smokehouse and 200 varieties of plants.Map It

Strong National Museum of PlayOne Manhattan Square Rochester, NY263-2700; http://www.museumofplay.orgStrong is one of the largest children’s museums in the country. Its interactive exhibits include five magical literary worlds in Reading Adventureland, Sesame Street, a kid-sized supermarket and a giant kaleidoscope. Butterflies flutter free in the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden. Visit the National Toy Hall of Fame and a treasure trove of play-related objects, including the world’s largest collection of dolls and toys.Map It

Susan B. Anthony House17 Madison St. Rochester, NY235-6124; http://www.susanbanthonyhouse.orgThe pioneer leader of the women’s rights movement lived here with her sister Mary, writing and organizing, during the years she campaigned for women’s suffrage. Anthony was arrested in this house for voting in 1872. She met with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other reformers in the parlor. The house, a national historic landmark, is largely restored and is filled with photos, memorabilia and much original furniture. The visitor center next door at 19 Madison St., once the home of sister Hannah, contains exhibits and a gift shop.Map It

Tinker Homestead and Farm Museum1585 Calkins Road Henrietta, NY359-7042Cobblestone buildings are rare, and Rochester is at the center of the largest concentration of this type of architecture. Tinker Homestead is a fine example of a home built in the style. The 1830s structure features handmade quilts, a beehive oven and furnishings of the period. Walking trails wind through a nature park on the grounds. Free admission.Map It

Valentown MuseumAcross from Eastview Mall, 7370 Valentown Road Victor, NY924-4170; http://www.valentown.orgBuilt in 1879 as the first structure in a town that never materialized, Valentown houses a re-created cobbler’s shop, music school, country store and harness maker’s shop. Important regional historical papers and artifacts are on display. In 1940, the late historian Sheldon Fisher bought the abandoned building and turned it into a museum. The town of Victor has grown explosively around it. The museum stands as a reminder of the past in an area of busy commercial development.Map It